In
Loving Memory
4
September 1998
In the early
morning hours of 4 September 1998, two Pave Hawks
of the 66th Rescue Squadron, based at Nellis AFB,
Nevada, crashed while conducting a night training
operation. The two Pave Hawk helicopters, flying
out of Nellis, were on a training mission over the
Nevada desert about 45 miles northwest of Las Vegas
when they crashed about 1 a.m. Each aircraft had a
crew of six on board.
The exercise
called for the use of night-vision goggles, and military
officials assume crew members were using the goggles
at the time of the crash. The Pave Hawks departed
Nellis at 8:30 p.m. Thursday and were due back at
12:30 a.m. Friday. Air Force officials said the helicopters
were reported overdue at 1 a.m., and the crash site
was located about an hour later.
This page is
dedicated to the brave warriors of the 66th Rescue
Squadron lost on the night of September 4, 1998.
They were truly the pride of the our nation - the
best of the best. Only through the endeavors
of men willing to dare, that others may live, is our
country kept free. They exemplified the those
qualities many strive to personify, but so often fall
short. These men never fell short, but rather
perservered, accomplished, overcame, and triumphed.
We are all thankful that while most slept peacefully
in their warm beds, there remained a chosen few for
whom comfort and an easy life simply did not suffice.
It is to those men that we owe an unpayable debt.
In
Respectful and Loving Memory
"That
Others May Live"
PARARESCUEMAN
SRA JUSTIN WOTASIK
PARARESCUEMAN
SRA JESSE STEWART
"That
Others May Live"
Anon
I
knew at the time I signed on the dotted line
That
my mission would be different than the rest
Trained
to fight, trained also to heal
I
signed on to be the best of the best.
Most
will never understand why we've chosen the job we
have - that question is easy to understand
There've
been many times I've wished only for warm socks, a
meal, and a bed
But
I know there's a purpose to the long nights, the cold,
and the mud
For
we don't do what we do for an easy place to rest our
head.
I
wouldn't give up my job or my mission for the things
most people hold so dear:
Money,
position, medals, or the spotlight
These
things, to me, are the trappings of a life wasted
The
benchmarks of those who never fought the good fight.
This
is not to say that there haven't been times
That
I've been scared or wondered, trembling, with what
the morning light might bring
But
know that we have dug and shared our foxholes with
men born for combat
And
more than held our own
We
do what we do not to take, exist, or simply survive
No,
none of us, to the man, took this job but to give
Blood,
sweat, and sometimes tears
For
one reason, and one reason only: That Others
May Live.
_______________________
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